Runaway Prince
by Yrouna
Summary: About a Prince. See full summary inside. Rating just to be safe (mild swearing, etc.) Improved Chapter one up!
1. Chapter ONE: A Reckless Idea

Runaway Prince  
  
Disclaimer: Ragnarok will never be mine. *sob*  
  
Summary: This story is about the prince of a different kingdom than Rune Midgard, who ran away from his country and ended up in Prontera. There he meets a couple of friends. But suddenly someone is after his life! What will happen?  
  
Chapter ONE  
  
"Master Zerach, the king is waiting for you in his carriage. He says that the two of you have to reach Al De Baran in two weeks for that diplomatic negotiation with the King Tristan III of the Kingdom of Rune Midgard, and you have to leave the palace now." Gareth, my trusted personal servant, told me. Damn, I have to go to one of my father's stupid boring meetings again! Argh. Why can't any of my brothers be the 'heir to the throne'?! Just because I'm his 'favorite' son doesn't mean I have to go through this suffering! I sighed loudly.  
  
"I want to stay here in Betelgeuse! Besides, can't Sych go instead?! HE'S the eldest son!" I tried to worm my way out.  
  
"Oh, but His Highness has already appointed you to be the next king, Master, so you will have to go with him to his diplomatic meetings. After all, you wouldn't want your brother to start being a snob and bully you if he instead becomes the heir?" Gareth replied smartly, eyes twinkling.  
  
Oh, the bastard. How I want to hit him. HONESTLY, I mean, I like Gareth, but I hate it when he's always right! My father knew that Sych is a snob and if he became the heir, he would probably kick us out once our father died. I gave up and allowed Gareth to escort me to my father's pecopeco-drawn carriage. My father saw me sulking and said "You'll get used to it." with a hint of humor in his voice. My damn old man's laughing at me. Again. I gave him a good glare and continued to sulk for the rest of the day.  
  
Oh, I forgot to introduce myself, didn't I? My name is Prince Zerach VIII of the Kingdom of Sirius. Yah, I'm the eighth, don't laugh! You'd think they'd be smart enough to think of other names instead of using one for eight times. Oh, yeah, I'm 17. In our kingdom, one is legally an adult at 17, and since I'm my father's favorite son, he made me heir to the throne instead of my eldest brother, Prince Sych of the Kingdom of Sirius, who is currently 29 years old. He was pretty steamed about it, mainly 'coz as the eldest son, it was expected for him to be the heir, not me. But actually in our laws it's allowed for the king to choose his heir, so it does not have to necessarily mean the eldest one is automatically king. As you might have noticed, I don't like Sych much, either. He's a conceited jerk. Though girls usually find him handsome and perfect. Well, that's almost always the case in princes, anyway. Sych, even being the eldest son, is not my full brother but my half brother. I did some investigation myself, and I learned that he was born due to an accident that happened one night when my father was drunk. My father loved him and his mother still, but his mother died at when he was three. I wasn't born then. I even feel sorta sorry for him (but when he picks on me that quickly disappears). Now my father has many concubines and I have many siblings but my mother is currently the official queen. Am I confusing you?  
  
Being the heir has many advantages, girls drooling over you (not that I like it much), for instance. It also has it'd disadvantages, though, like these damn boring meetings. I was just appointed heir two months ago and now I've attended at least three 'diplomatic negotiations' with King Tristan. We always travel for a long time, though. It's just stupid, you know, traveling for two weeks (at least) when we can just get a warp and be there in a few seconds. My father says he enjoys the journey. What's enjoying about it, I don't wouldn't know. Being in a stuffy carriage all day long is not my idea of fun. WHY I have to stay with him, I wouldn't know, either. He always says "for experience" when I ask that question. But I still don't get what kind of "experience" he meant. What will I learn from going to diplomatic meetings I don't even listen to?  
  
Anyway, back to reality. I'm starting to hate being the heir. I wish I could escape this somehow. Suddenly, an idea popped into my head. Might be a bit reckless, though... Even so, it's a chance... Hmm, I'll think about it later. For now I'm just going to sleep.  
  
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The two weeks passed uneventful. We reached Al De Baran. The moment our carriage entered the city, the people bowed and gave respect to us. After, all, we are the royal family. We entered the city. This city is beautiful with many buildings, and with a large population. The capital city, Betelgeuse, where our palace is located is bigger, prettier, and has a larger population than this though. The boring meeting, which often takes seven hours or more, is tomorrow, so we went to the inn and will be spending the night there.  
  
The next day, we went to the meeting. We met King Tristan again. I bowed politely and acted like a good prince is supposed to act. King Tristan also had his heir with him, but I wasn't interested because he looked to be Sych's age already. My father and the King of the Kingdom of Rune Midgard talked about building alliances. Apparently, war is near. I wasn't listening, after all. I was formulating my plan. After all, if my plan succeeds, I won't have to worry about war as a prince.  
  
Night came. I packed my bags quickly. I mustn't be seen. Tonight is my only chance to escape. Of course, I was planning to come back after a LONG time, but I have to go now. We're coming back to Betelgeuse tomorrow. I can't afford to lose my chance. Hey, have you guessed my plan? You probably have. I'm going to run away.  
  
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A/N: is it bad? is it good? please write me a review. even flames are gladly accepted (rolls right off yours truly). hey, this idea popped into my sleepy mind and i wrote it. dunno what's gonna happen... /gg hehehe... please review me so i can improve myself...  
  
P.S. I modified this chapter and added in some of the suggestions of Arethusa Fellini. Thanks a lot, it really helped! /no1 


	2. Chapter TWO: Friends? Or Enemies?

Runaway Prince  
  
Chapter TWO  
  
Disclaimer: If I owned Ragnarok, I would be rich and wouldn't be stuck writing fanfics.  
  
I packed my bags and climbed out the window carefully, wearing a swordsman's outfit, a helm, and a masquerade. I'm gonna have to be careful, as there are guards around the inn... I landed lightly on the ground. All that agility I-thought-was-useless training finally paid up. As you might not expect, I really AM a swordsman. My father's had me trained to be one. I could become a knight anytime I wanted, I just didn't want to be one yet. Anyway, back to my great escape. I reached the corner and a peep. Phew, thank goodness that guard's neglecting his job and had fallen asleep. I tiptoed past him then ran and hid behind the tool shop, I gotta be careful if I don't wanna get caught, there are many other guards who may be awake. I reached the clock tower. I tried to act as casually as I can. There are still a few people outside selling wares even at the dead of the night. I walked over to the kafra and said "Warp me to Prontera, please".  
  
"Hurry UP, Meph! We gotta rush if we ever want to sell most of our stuff by sundown! If you continue lazing around, Prontera will be crowded by the time we get there!" I shouted at my lazy brother.  
  
"Wait a sec, I'm trying to do inventory here! Hmm... Let's see... Ten Fire katanas... Check. Five mystic frozens... Check. Eight hundred and fifty- eight red potions..." He continued checking inventory. I tried to keep my temper as he counted the stuff in his cart one-by-one SLLLOOOOOWWWWLLYYYY. I snapped.  
  
"Forging Blacksmith Mephistopheles III of Payon Son of Goth the Great Hunter, and big brother of Acolyte Esmeralda of Payon..." I whispered his full name in a deadly calm voice.  
  
"If we do not leave in the next THREE MINUTES you are gonna have it!!!!" I shrieked, suddenly losing my deadly calm and stomping outside. My brother knew perfectly well that I meant it, and I waited impatiently. He rushed to finish his inventory but it felt like forever before he set foot outside. "Didn't I say 3 minutes?! Heck, it's sunrise already! You are so slow!"  
  
"Sheee-eeesh. What kind of acolyte are you?!" he grumbled scratching his head.  
  
"What kind? Why, I'm a battle acolyte, dear brother, how very nice of you to forget..." I said with mock sweetness, then took out my 10 swordmace which he so gladly over-upgraded, which is one of his most fatal mistakes. I hit him on the head, let it bleed a bit, and healed it. Hopefully he has learned his lesson THIS time. He just glared at me and distinctly muttered "That's my sister, the murdering acolyte." "Open a warp, then!" he said aloud this time. Planting a smirk on my face again, I reached in his cart and pulled out a blue gem. "Hey! I just gave you twenty of those yesterday!" he complained VERY loudly. Ignoring his protests, "Warp Portal!"  
  
Zerach's POV  
  
So THIS is what Prontera, capital city of Rune Midgard, is like. Too crowded, in my opinion. I looked at a merchant's shop. Useless items. I looked at another. Useless. It seems that all the others that I looked at have useless stuff too. Guess some people just like to sell their useless junk, huh? No matter, I have a lot of money in the Kafra Corporation anyway. I just brought a couple thousand zenny, a 7 katana, an ordinary sword, and moderate armor, since this place is bound to have a petty thief or two, and I won't need great weapons 'till I leave the town. I took a map from my backpack. Let's see, where's the inn... Ah-hah! I walked towards the direction of the inn to get a room. I heard a low rumble. Oh, that was my stomach. Better grab something to eat, too.  
  
I took a room. It's small and cramped, nothing compared to our room in Al de Baran. But hey, I can't complain, eh? Then I ate some roasted meat, potatoes, a banana, and some apple juice for breakfast. Not exactly princely food, but it's yummy. I went out and decided to go exploring, and maybe even buy a couple of things. I whistled a bit as I strolled around the streets. You won't believe how great it is to be free after having rules govern your life for the past seventeen years. I saw the armory and went inside. I saw common weapons and armor. I went out. I didn't care since I already have all of them at either Kafra Corporation or at home.  
  
Still whistling a happy tune, I saw an old blacksmith with an emerald who is offering to place it on the hilt of your weapon. I looked at my 7 katana and decided it isn't a bad idea. I asked him how much does it cost, and he said only 1,000 zenny. Not a bad price. I agreed, lent him my 7 katana, and asked him to forge it. He told me that I should pay him 500 zenny first, as down payment. I rummaged around for my money bag. Uh, where IS it? It's gone! Luckily, I saw a young thief trying desperately to slip into the crowd before I notice him, carrying MY money bag! I told the blacksmith to just forge it, that I'm gonna pay later. I gripped my sword, decided that I'd rather not get the thief at the moment. I have something else planned.  
  
I smirked at my luck. This thief is obviously an inexperienced one. I kept him from sensing me while keeping HIM within my sight. We pushed through the crowd. I saw him keeping my money bag in his pocket, and approach a young red-haired blacksmith's cart. Hehe, my plan's working just fine. Guess what my plan is. Get him CAUGHT IN THE ACT. I stopped a foot away from him, acting very casually. I saw him (though it took me careful observing) slip his hand in the cart and pull out a heal clip. Now is the right time. "THIEF!" I shouted.  
  
The crowd paused and looked. The blacksmith looked at me, then the thief. The pretty acolyte beside him (with the same hair as his, only longer and tied in two low ponytails on each side) looked enraged. She took out her swordmace and, to my surprise knocked out the thief. I stared at her. I've never met an acolyte who would act like that. "What are you staring at?!" she shouted when she noticed that I was staring at her, with a look that seems to dare me to steal from her brother (I assumed) too. I looked away. (The crowd stopped looking and started minding their own business.) Correction to what I said earlier. I've never seen an acolyte who will knock out a person and act like it's perfectly normal for her. Okay, so it probably is. She took out my money bag from the thief's clothes. "That's mine!" I said. She tossed it to me, smirking.  
  
Playing tough girl, eh? "Are you really an acolyte? You act like a swordsman!" I told her. She grinned.  
  
"Do you expect me to act goody-goody like all other female acolytes do? I'm not like them, lying bitches who act all nice but are rotten inside!"  
  
"Oh, so you're rotten on the outside then?" It wasn't normal for me to talk to a girl like that. But, hey, she's different. She said so herself. She became angry and walked over to me. A smirk is plastered well on my face. She took out her swordmace and was about to pound it on me but I dodged it easily. I raised an eyebrow as her brother stopped her. "Now, Esmeralda, we should thank him or our stuff would have been stolen!"  
  
"BROTHER, he insulted me!"  
  
"BUT you insulted all other female acolytes in your previous statement! So you're even." her brother said as he tried his best to restrain her. She gave up and stomped back to her brother's shop to guard his supplies- and to get away from me.  
  
"Forgive my sister, she's just like that. By the way, My name is Mephistopheles III of Payon, but you can call me Meph. My sister there is Esmeralda. I'm 19, she's 17. What about you?"  
  
Trouble. I haven't thought of a fake name yet! I CAN'T say I'm Prince Zerach VIII of the Kingdom of Sirius! I'll be back in Betelgeuse before I can say "Freedom"! Uh-oh.... "Is something wrong?" he asked. "N-no... Uhh, my name is Gareth of Al de Baran, and I'm, uh, 17 years old!" I told him the first name I could think of. Great, I'm Gareth now. Oh, well, desperate times call for desperate measures.  
  
"Oh, you're from the Kingdom of Sirius, then?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Well that's nice. Where are you staying now?"  
  
"Oh, I'm just having a vacation, so I'm staying at the inn."  
  
"The inn's expensive. How about, for saving my stuff from getting stolen, you stay with us? Our parents are dead and it's only the two of us at the house."  
  
"WHAT?!" Esmeralda, apparently is listening.  
  
"Esmeralda of Payon! I am the elder brother in this family and I want him to stay! NO OBJECTIONS."  
  
Esmeralda glared at him, then at me, then teleported.  
  
"Probably went home." Meph said calmly.  
  
"I don't think I should stay, she doesn't seem to like it."  
  
"But I INSIST. Come on, you've got nothing to lose!"  
  
'But you do. Lose your peace and quiet.' I didn't voice my thoughts out.  
  
"Fine, then, if you insist." I could save my money a bit.  
  
"Great! Hey, how 'bout you stroll around and get your stuff from the inn, and I'll meet you back here at sundown, 'k?"  
  
"Sure." I said as I walked away. And I remembered my forged weapon. Shit. I ran as fast as I could to the other blacksmith, and I found him holding my finished emerald 7 katana out to me, his other hand asking for payment.  
  
Sundown. I met Meph at the spot where he set up his shop this morning. "The thief who stole our stuff was brought to the guard. Had a good shopping?" he asked me. I sighed then shook my head. Most of the things they sold are rubbish, some aren't but I already have them.  
  
"Why not? Prontera is the shopping capital of Rune Midgard, you know."  
  
"Guess I can't find anything interesting."  
  
"Where do you shop in Sirius, then?"  
  
"Oh, in Betelgeuse. It's sorta like Prontera, only bigger."  
  
"I see... So, are we going?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
We walked over to the kafra as soon as he finished packing his left- over supplies in his cart. He told the kafra "Warp me to Payon please."  
  
Esmeralda's Point of View  
  
I am worried. What if Meph really does persuade him to live with us? I don't trust the likes of him. He could have just paid the thief or something. I know it's far-fetched, but I haven't trusted any man except Meph since, well, my boyfriend betrayed me and went with an archer. I don't know this swordsman. He could be a... a thief or a... a... a rapist for all I know! Meph is too trusting and gullible! My mind is full of 'what ifs' at the moment. I paced the room again, and again, and again.  
  
"It's sundown." I said to myself. My brother's bound to be here in a few minutes. I HOPE he didn't bring the swordsman with him! I looked outside the window. Here's the light of a warp portal, it's probably him. He went out. Then... DAMN! The swordsman, should I say Gareth, followed him. I 'welcomed' him into the house.  
  
"What are YOU doing here you PUNY SWORDSMAN?!"  
  
"Your brother invited me here, Lady Esmeralda." he said coolly.  
  
"But I won't allow you to go ONE STEP further."  
  
"So you're gonna guard me all night long?"  
  
"I'm gonna pound you and throw you in a portal to Al de Baran! Go back where you came from, foreigner!"  
  
He froze. I don't know why, but he seemed afraid of what I said. I really meant it. But after a few seconds he regained his cool and went past me to my brother. I got furious.  
  
"I meant what I told you! WARP PORTAL!"  
  
The skill failed. And I saw why. He is holding twenty or so blue gemstones and placing it one by one in my brother's cart. Meph is chuckling. Oh the bastard. How I want to hit him! I mean, I love Meph but I hate it when he sides with others except me! I shook with anger, then sighed in defeat as Gareth started chuckling too. I stomped inside the house, into my room and shut the door.  
  
NO NO NO NO NO NO!!! WHAT IF HE'S A BAD PERSON?! I clenched my fists. I wasn't about to back off. I don't trust him and he knows it! When he stole my blue gems, it was swiftly and silently. He also dodged me that time when I tried to hit him. This guy is not some mere swordsman, he's a trained warrior. Most people won't notice it, but there's a difference between those two. Some swordsmen don't train and just become knights by way of bribery and then hoist their butts up the pecopecos. He is different. I may be an acolyte, but I know that I've been training hard and I'm stronger than most swordsmen, thieves, and merchants. I'm on my way to priesthood already. This guy is strong. But Meph is being stubborn again. I'll just have to avoid him and fight him if the situation deemed necessary. With this in mind, I went downstairs to prepare dinner.  
  
Meph and Lord Gareth were hopelessly trying to cook. My brother has always been an AWFUL chef and it seems that this Gareth guy has no clue either. He kept away from the pan as much as possible while Meph is frying a phen, seemingly afraid of a little cooking oil.  
  
"Let me help." I said in the most boring voice I could muster.  
  
Gareth looked at me, a surprised look plastered all over his face.  
  
"I thought you were mad at me." he said.  
  
"I am." I replied  
  
"Then why are you helping us?"  
  
"Because" I took the cooking tools from Meph.  
  
"Because?"  
  
"If I do not help you two our dinner will be burned and we will have nothing to eat. It's not for your sake, swordsman."  
  
"Either way, I'm glad. I have no experience in cooking whatsoever."  
  
"Don't you have a family?" Meph asked.  
  
"My parents are dead, and I don't have siblings." he said quickly, as if he had memorized it beforehand.  
  
"You're a poor liar." I accused with humor.  
  
"Who said I was lying?"  
  
"Well, for one thing, the way you said it is pretty obvious. Next, nobody would talk about dead relatives in that cheerful way unless he hated them. Third, if you had no relatives, you would have had to survive alone and cook by yourself somehow." he was stunned by my little speech. He obviously hadn't thought of that. A look of panic streaked his features for a split second before he regained his cool.  
  
"A lie-detector, eh? I admit, you got me." An answer that I wasn't expecting.  
  
"But why do you want to know more about me? Do you have a little crush on me?" he grinned widely. It had been a plan to distract me from the subject. It worked. I had just finished transferring the hot phen on a plate. "You... WISH!!!" and I threw the pan still hot with oil on his face. He merely smirked, jumped into the air, made a neat somersault in which he almost hit the ceiling. He landed behind me. "You ought to do better than that, dearie." he grinned at the name he gave me. From the acrobatics, I assume he is no mere swordsman, indeed. He is a warrior with a tongue that gets on my nerves. Oh, and a jerk, too.  
  
A/N: There we go, eight whole pages of pure 'Runaway Prince'. Hope ya like it. if i had any errors looks around expectantly, or if you have any questions you can post it in the reviews. if you want it to be answered quickly, please just post it in the reviews and i'll answer it, coz i only check my e-mail once a week. anyway, please review, all are appreciated, namely comments, suggestions, criticism, flames, medium flames, harsh flames, etc. /no1.  
  
Thanks very much, Arethusa Fellini, for your review. i used it in improving chapter one.   
  
Notes: 1. Zerach is an agi swordy.  
2. i invented the emerald 7 katana  
3. Zerach brought meager weapons and armor not because he is unprepared, but because he had heard of thieves in prontera and did not want his precious stuff stolen. LOL  
4. Yes, Meph trusts Zerach. He's a trusting person, and he knows a good man when he sees one. (most of the time.)  
5. Zerach thought of Gareth as his name because Gareth has been his close friend and he was the first person he could think of. Gareth IS from alde.  
  
Any questions are welcome! My fic is confusing so there is a large possibility that you might not understand it, mainly coz as a writer, i totally suck. 


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